Transcript

Jayne Chapman

OK. So some key things to consider when you're thinking about your image in a career context. An easy way to remember it- three A's- authentic, appropriate, attractive. Authentic. That's all about what you see is what you get. So your image needs to reflect what you're like as a person- your personal values, your brand values. Give me some clues as to what it is that you might do.

What you don't want is that you walk into a room, or people see you, and then when you open your mouth and you tell them what you do, it's a bit of a shock. Or you tell them who you are, and they think, hm, it just doesn't quite sit together. We need to get that thing where what we look like on the outside is a good reflection of who we are on the inside.

The next thing is about being appropriate. So authenticity is very much about dressing for who you are and being comfortable in that. Being appropriate is very much about dressing for other people. It's about thinking about what are they expecting from me? Let's work with their expectations. Let's think about their context, so that actually the way I dress is going to help them receive me, is going to help build relationships. It's just going to make things a bit easier.

A good example of that might be if I'm a tree surgeon. And I'm not a tree surgeon. But if I was, typically my work wear would be a hard hat, outdoor gear. I go and see customers, they're going to be expecting me to dress in that kind of way. If I turn up in a business suit, they might be thinking, mm, I'm not sure what sort of tree surgeon they're going to be.

If I'm wanting to see somebody for legal advice- I go and see a solicitor- I'm not expecting to walk into an office and be met by somebody wearing outdoor gear, or dressed like a surfer. I'm expecting to see somebody who fits my idea of, what does a solicitor look like? So that's about the whole thing about being appropriate. Think about the context.

And then the third area is about attractive. So we've got authentic, appropriate, attractive. Now attractive is not about sexual attraction. What I'm meaning is we like to be with people who look pleasing, who look well, who have a smile on their face, who have lovely, you know, open body language. So, yes, being attractive is about clothes. It's about thinking about colours that make us look healthy and well, and clothes that fit us well. You know, that don't swamp us or are too tight.

It's about, you know, the little finishing touches that put our personal signature on things. But also it's about our body language. It's about a smile. It's about establishing eye contact. It's about having open body language. So three I use to think about, to get your image right.